Everybody knows that all matter is composed
of atoms, but there some facts about atoms that almost boggle the mind!
For example, we all know that atoms are
extremely small, but did you know that you could fit two billion atoms into the
dot on top of each letter “i” in “billion”?
An atom consists of a nucleus, containing
protons and neutrons, and electrons that whizz in orbit round the nucleus.
There are as many electrons as there are protons in the nucleus.
However, what is not generally appreciated
is that an atom consists mainly of empty space! If you could imagine an atom
that was the size of a sports stadium, such as a Premiership football ground,
then the electrons would be whizzing round the upper tiers of the stands and
the nucleus would be a pea in the centre circle!
In other words, all matter is an illusion –
everything that exists does so thanks to the energy contained in atoms. The
actual matter in the atoms is almost non-existent.
© John Welford
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